Daegelus | Volume One: Subject 0333

Chapter Twenty-Four | Homing Beacon

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They dumped the van behind the cover of an abandoned factory and rigged a rusted jeep. Once they got it started, Jake followed the backstreets, using the cover of old buildings and subway bridges as he headed for the city's exit.

No one spoke a word. The only sounds came from Zoe's rat-dog and the storm outside. Thunder rumbled, the rain fell harder, and lightning lit up the darkness.

Elijah asked himself over and over what he missed. How did the detainers know where they'd resurface? How did they know to have an assassin set up right there? Had he missed some cameras? Was there something in the tunnel? Or could Lyca Corp. have started putting trackers on their subjects since the escapes from the lab where he was held?

He frowned guiltily, his heart aching. It was his fault. He should have checked Enid for a tracker, and he should have taken more precautions, but because he hadn't, a girl was dead, and her family would never see her again. They wouldn't even get to bury her.

As the burden of guilt grew heavier, he scowled out the window and tapped his clawed fingers on his leg. What did he miss? What did he miss?

"I promised her she'd be safe," Zoe said despondently. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "What about her family?"

Elijah glanced at her. "I don't know," he mumbled.

The girl pouted as despair warped her face. She leaned closer to Elijah, resting her head against his bicep. "They won't even get to bury her."

His frown became a confused one. He felt a little strange knowing that Zoe was thinking exactly what he was, but he shouldn't be surprised, should he? They both had their reasons for caring about Enid, and he did care...even if he struggled to show it. He wanted to get her to her family so that she could start a new life or take back the life that she was supposed to have before Lyca Corp. stole her. But she'd never get that chance now, and it was his fault.

"How did they know where we were?" Zoe murmured, her tears sliding down Elijah's leather jacket.

"I don't know that either," he muttered. "Maybe they had a tracker on her or something."

"I didn't see anything on her while I was helping her clean all the blood away this morning."

"Maybe you missed something."

"Maybe," she cried.

Elijah huffed quietly. He was uncomfortable, and if it were anyone else, he would have thrown them off himself already, but for some reason, he didn't feel the urge to do that with Zoe. He let her cry, and while she bawled, his sights shifted to the rear-view mirror.

His eyes locked with Jake's.

The pardus' face adorned a concoction of jealousy, concern, and guilt.

"Oh, sorry, I'm getting your jacket wet," Zoe then said as she lifted her head from his arm and wiped her tears off his coat.

Jake cleared his throat and set his eyes back on the road.

"Where are we going?" the girl asked as she looked out her window.

"As far from the city as possible," Elijah said.

She glanced out the back window. "Are they following us?"

"Not as far as I can tell," the demon replied. He hadn't stopped concentrating on his senses since they left the park; he wasn't going to let the detainers surprise him...again. Their distorted auras were almost out of his sensory range, and they weren't getting any closer. But he wasn't going to let his guard down.